Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for ��˿�� to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-13346

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many teaching posts are (a) unfilled and (b) filled by temporary staff in Aberdeen City Council (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools.

Teacher vacancy information as at 20 September 2017 can be found at:

This information is not formal statistics and was collected for the purpose of informing the annual teacher workforce planning exercise. This is a snapshot of the vacancy situation as at 20 September.

Statistics on the employment type (permanent/temporary) of teachers by local authority in 2016 are published in the teacher census supplementary data (Table 7.7 primary and Table 7.8 secondary), available on the Scottish Government website at:

Supplementary data for the 2017 census will be published by 6 March 2018.

Question reference: S5W-13072

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 12 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to replace the personal track safety card for officers on railways after the merger of the British Transport Police and Police Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-13025

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-12516 by Humza Yousaf on 22 November 2017, whether any collective agreements which will transfer and, if so, whether the dynamic or static interpretation of changes to those agreements will be applied post-transfer.

Question reference: S5W-13023

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-12516 by Humza Yousaf on 22 November 2017, whether post-transfer continuity of service will be preserved and, if so, whether this will be statutory or contractual continuity.

Question reference: S5W-13024

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-12516 by Humza Yousaf on 22 November 2017, for how long the terms and conditions of transferring officers will be protected from any detrimental change.

Question reference: S5W-13312

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5W-12955

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to consider the sand engine scheme to tackle coastal erosion in Montrose and, if so, what the process would be for introducing this; how much it would cost, and who would be responsible for meeting this cost, broken down by the proportion to be paid.

In Scotland, land owners are responsible for protecting their land from coastal erosion. Under the Coast Protection Act 1949, local authorities can carry out coast protection work to safeguard land against erosion and encroachment by the sea. However, the Scottish Government has no powers to intervene in a decision a local authority takes to manage coastal erosion in its area. Local authorities can fund coast protection work under the 1949 Act from their general capital grant.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role that nature can play in protecting our coastline and the assets that lie behind it. Angus Council is working with stakeholders to find the most sustainable solution to protect the sand dunes in Montrose, including beach re-nourishment. The Council has also commissioned a flood study for Montrose which will consider the role of erosion and flood risk to the area.

Any actions arising from the study to address flood risk will be considered for inclusion in the second generation of Local Flood Risk Management Plans, under which the Council can apply for Scottish Government funding for flood risk capital monies.

Question reference: S5W-12846

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by James Wolffe QC on 5 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce the time taken to conclude preliminary investigation of sexual crimes.

The length of time taken for sexual offence cases to get to court is often too long. There has been a significant increase in the number of serious sexual offence cases. These now account for 75% of High Court cases; this indicates that more victims have the confidence to report these cases, and that is a positive development. The number of cases continues to increase.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has reformed the way it deals with sexual offence cases. From April 2016, all High Court sexual offence prosecutions have been brought together under the same chain of command. Specialist sexual offence teams have been established within the Service to supplement the specialist work of Crown Counsel within the National Sexual Crimes Unit. This has resulted in significant improvements; and I anticipate that it will enable further improvements to be made.

The Service has more than halved the number of pre-petition cases since these changes were introduced.

Question reference: S5W-12847

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by James Wolffe QC on 5 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve communication with victims during sexual crimes investigations, in particular the frequency of contact by the Victim Information and Advice service.

Earlier this year the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service introduced a new Victim Strategy.

Since September 2017, all Victim Information Advice (VIA) staff who work on High Court sexual offences cases have a geographic responsibility, and accordingly a responsibility for liaison with victims within their area.

All victims should be contacted by VIA within 24 hours of the accused appearing in court to advise them of the outcome and to confirm if the accused has been remanded in custody or liberated on bail with conditions. The Service has now introduced a commitment to make further contact with victims within 7 days of an accused appearing on petition, where the accused has been remanded in custody, and 21 days where the accused has been liberated on bail.

The Service is currently working with Rape Crisis and others to examine how it can better obtain feedback from victims and use that information to improve the support provided to victims in the justice system.

The Inspectorate of Prosecution recently published a thematic report on the investigation and prosecution of sexual crime. That report made recommendations for improving the communication with victims during sexual crimes investigations. COPFS has accepted all of those recommendations.

Question reference: S5W-12848

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the reported gap in the availability of advocacy or court-based support for children.

The Scottish Government commissioned an independent National Scoping Exercise of Advocacy Services relating to the criminal justice system for victims of violence against women and girls in 2016 to identify the gaps in services for all victims of gender based violence. The research, led by the former Chief Executive of Scottish Women’s Aid, Lily Greenan, was published earlier this year and is at It found a perceived lack of advocacy services for children and young people in their own right and recognised that further work is needed in this area to fully understand what is being offered and by whom.

A working group has been set up, led by the Head of Service of ASSIST to develop recommendations on how criminal justice advocacy services for victims of violence against women and girls can be improved. In relation to cases under section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, on matters such as contact and residence, there will be a consultation next year on the review of part 1 of the 1995 Act and the associated Family Justice Modernisation Strategy. This will consider how best to ensure that the welfare of the child is paramount in these cases.